


thank you (for the happiest year of my life)

by lordphrog



Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Ambiguous/Open Ending, Bittersweet, Bittersweet Ending, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Fluff, Fluff and Hurt/Comfort, Friends to Lovers, Graduation, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Romantic Friendship, Sad Ending, Short & Sweet, Short One Shot, Tooth-Rotting Fluff, Why Did I Write This?, bokuto is scared :(, now im sad
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-23
Updated: 2021-02-23
Packaged: 2021-03-13 20:22:27
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 817
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29656803
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lordphrog/pseuds/lordphrog
Summary: "I'm scared, 'Kaashi - everything's gonna change, forever, and there's no way to go back.""You said you had a dream, Bokuto-san. This is your chance to follow through.""There's no dream if you're not there, though."-with bokuto's graduation coming up soon, the pressure and goodbyes hit him like a freight train and he realizes just how much he'll miss his setter.
Relationships: Akaashi Keiji/Bokuto Koutarou
Comments: 2
Kudos: 12





	thank you (for the happiest year of my life)

**Author's Note:**

> why did i do this to myself now im sad >:0

Graduation is coming up, and Bokuto is not sure how he feels about it. Every motion feels like it's on hyperdrive and he _can't keep up_. Enter Akaashi, Bokuto's only source of sanity, who he will not be seeing as much of after Bokuto graduates. And the thought eats him alive. 

How many times has Akaashi pulled him out of a depressive rut? How many times has he chased Bokuto down with an umbrella, gently chastising him for not checking the forecast? It was all the little things, and all of them he would miss _so fucking much_. It hurt. And he knew deep down, that even when Bokuto graduated, Akaashi would still come see him daily, that he would still remind him that _"Bokuto-san, it's going to rain today, don't forget your umbrella."_ But the treacherous part of his mind screamed, _"No he won't. He's going to forget all about you, and you won't matter to him, and he won't care."_ Bokuto gets too lost in his head sometimes. 

Which is exactly how Akaashi finds him, the day before the graduation ceremony. The captain sits at the top of a grassy hill, knees pulled to his chest, and concern overwhelms the setter almost instantaneously. "Bokuto-san?" he calls out. The response is quick, but quiet. "Did I worry you?" Akaashi smiles, but it's barely there. "We were looking for you, I figured you'd be out here."

Bokuto's sitting up now, but his face lacks the usual splendour, and his mouth is set in a straight line. It's alarming, but Akaashi, ever prepared, just sits down with him, looking expectantly. "Well then, what's bothering you?"

It's a loaded question, but this time, Bokuto has a semblance of the words he wants to say and how to get them out. "I'm scared, 'Kaashi - everything's gonna change, forever, and there's no way to go back."  
Akaashi presses his mouth into a bitter smile. "You said you had a dream, Bokuto-san. This is your chance to follow through." And suddenly the words won't come out, but the ace knows they need to be said. "There's no dream if you're not there, though."

It takes the setter by surprise, but he knows it shouldn't. He knows how Bokuto feels about him, and he's 85% sure Bokuto knows his feelings too. It's just a little jarring to hear it out loud, no matter how silly it sounds. _Ah yes, Akaashi was not expecting his best friend to miss him. Because that's exactly how it works._ His mouth quirks up. "Is that your way of telling me you miss me, Bokuto-san?"

Bokuto looks at him owlishly. "What else would I be trying to say?" The setter giggles, and colour returns back to Bokuto's face. "I'll miss you too, you know." Akaashi isn't looking at him anymore, and the smile has turned more wistful. "Who knows how you'll even stay alive without me?" Bokuto knows he's joking, but it's partly true. "I just... I joined the volleyball team for you, you know. You are the reason I improved so much, and I depend on your companionship more than I'd like to admit."

When Akaashi looks over, Bokuto is crying. It's nothing for which he needs to be alarmed, but it still hurts. "I'll miss it all. Every single routine I had with everybody, and every single moment I had with you. It's all gonna change. And I don't think I'm ready for that." Akaashi's eyes are a little glossy now, too. "You were born ready, Bokuto-san. You'll be fine." He took a deep breath, considering his next words carefully. "And I'll be there. I'll visit as often as I can, I'll come to all your games. I'm not going anywhere, nor do I want to."

The ace is standing now, and he looks a little more solid on his own two feet. He extends a hand, and whispers a quick _thank you. so much._ The weight behind their words confuse them both, but they have time to figure it out. 

* * *

It's Bokuto's graduation, when Akaashi allows the tears to fall. He's quickly pulled into a strong chest and warm arms are wrapped around him, but it's so hard to ignore. Things _will_ change. He won't see him as often as he promised, and they both know that. But the false hope that the one thing that stays the same, eachother, remains. They'll drift apart, have their own lives. Akaashi looks at him, savoring what little time he has left. Nothing will ever replicate the way he feels about the ace, he knows it all too well. As Bokuto walks out with him, chattering excitedly about the college he'll attend, Akaashi already knows that he'll go down as the one that got away.

And as Bokuto looks at the setter, setting sun bathing him in a golden light, he can't help but feel the same way. 


End file.
